Gross National Happiness - About Our documentary

About Our Documentary

Gross National Happiness: A feature-length documentary filmed in Bhutan

What happens when a government decides that happiness is a top priority?

With the worldwide economic crisis triggering a historic period of reflection, the idea of redefining the measure of prosperity is now particularly relevant. High in the Himalayas between Tibet and India, lies Bhutan - one of the most remote places on Earth.

In the 1970’s the King of Bhutan was questioned by a reporter about the size of his tiny Buddhist country’s Gross National Product; he responded that he was more interested in Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness.

In just one generation, the Bhutanese people have witnessed their society leap from relative isolation to a 21^st century connected, digital world. Teenagers in Western dress now surf the ‘net, chat on cell phones, and rent episodes of Sex in the City from the video store in downtown Thimphu (the capital), while on the slopes of the Himalayas farmers still harvest their rice with handmade scythes. Semi-nomadic yak herding tribes roam the high valleys and in ancient monasteries Buddhist monks pray in seclusion for three-year retreats in their quest for enlightenment. There are no Starbucks, McDonalds, no traffic lights in the entire country and no credit cards … yet.

What does life look like inside a country that has kept the outside world at bay for over four centuries and values happiness above all? How will this Buddhist country come to terms with consumerism and the growing demand for material possessions and what lessons can we learn from the choices they make? We are sure that this unique and timely film about Gross National Happiness will captivate audiences worldwide and help to create global awareness of this enlightened initiative.

Funded to date by private donations, we have 160 hours of compelling HD footage that offers a window into a remote culture that has not yet been widely covered by the Western media. We have completed principal photography while on location in Bhutan for 4 1/2 months and have logged and loaded all our footage. Now we are in the editorial phase and close to realizing our goal. We would be grateful if you could help us bring “Gross National Happiness” to the big screen. To make a donation please contact the Director, Karen Mintz at 215. 704. 4934 or kmintz@sandokaiproductions.com.

* Sandokai Productions is a U.S. based company founded by Executive Producer Dr. Cornelis Wortel. Our editor Sabine Krayenbühl has worked on many internationally recognized feature-length documentary films, including the Academy Award nominated “My Architect” and “Mad Hot Ballroom” which was short-listed for an Academy Award.